Damian came to our recent Corporate Innovation dinner with Jon Bradford from TechStars and we’re looking forward to seeing him again at the Sharing Economy dinner coming up soon. We caught up with him about his Event startup Showslice, what’s in store for 2015 and some key learnings he’s picked up along the way. Let’s hear it from him…

What’s the elevator pitch for your business?

Showslice is the sharing economy for the meetings and events industry. A platform where event organisers can make value connections to save money and help hold better events. Showslice confidentially connects events between organisers with similar supplier requirements, in a similar area, around the same time so that they can share common infrastructure costs back-to-back at 1 venue. From large exhibitions to corporate parties, Showslice collaboration frees up extra budget and time as well as improves event supplier efficiency while having a positive impact on the environment.

If you have co-founders, where did you meet them?

Jon Gunn and I clicked first while we were both working for LOCOG (London 2012). He was the venue manager for the Basketball Arena and I was the Health & Safety advisor for that cluster of venues on the Olympic Park. We got on so well that our late night antics resulted in the team nicknaming us Midnight Cowboy and Night Hawk. I’ll let you guess who’s who…

What’s your biggest ‘hindsight’ moment?

I had these cool ideas that they today call Google, Facebook and Amazon but some guys got there just before me…pity.

What will 2015 bring?

It’ll be the year that we break down the communication barrier between international event organisers. You will see bigger and better events at less marginal cost with a significant reduction in waste. The way big events are executed in terms of supplier utilization and underused temporary structures will change drastically in 2015 not just because of Showslice but because the time has come.

1 piece of advice for someone starting a business in the sector :

A sharing economy business is bridging the old with the new and is driven by technology, the economy and cultural change. Understand your market and create real solutions which need to constantly be adapted as you learn. We are part of change so always expect to keep changing.

Convince someone to use your product/service in under 50 words:

A unique venue, a marquee, catering, staging, sound, lights, video and even the production crew and event staff are things you need to make your event unforgettable. Exhibitions, meetings, corporate parties, weddings…get want you want and more by simply connecting with people just like you. Showslice, where events come together.

How would you describe TableCrowd to someone who’s never heard of it before?

TableCrowd is a networking innovation of our time. It takes little pockets of like-minded people with focused interests and puts them around a table to ‘break the ice’ and learn from each other. Loosely based on a model taken from legends such as King Arthur and a chap they call Jesus is by far an awesome idea.

Have a look at our upcoming tables here.